“We already use Skype to allow students to meet with the authors of the books,” he said. “And we have developed a system for peer assessment to help students recognize their strengths and weaknesses in their ability to articulate their understanding of the books.”

Although the University has recently decided that it will join a MOOC consortium in the near future, Google will support — both financially and technologically — the MOOC version of Six Pretty Good Books, Macy said. The course will be offered online through Google’s Course Builder platform, according to a University press release.